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1.Last July I witnessed you participation at the Lignano International tournament and I was very surprised with your performance. What kind of memories do you keep from that experience?

R: Our presence as a first Asian team in Italy in July is cause of honor and motivation for us. We have gotten good experience from this event and we hopeour performances in 2015 will show that how much experience we got from the last year .

2.What´s the reality of Rugy in general and Beach 5s in particular in Iran?

R: Officially, we started beach rugby two years ago. The first tournament was held in Kish island in Nov 2012 with eight teams. In 2013 the tournament was held with 12 teams in Bandar Abass. We are planning to host the thir deition will this year in December.

We promise for the next year we will organize an international tournament in Iran.

3.When we think about Iran usually, people do not associate it to the beach and sun…where and how do you practice Beach 5s?

R: In Iran we have seven provinces with coastline. Despite the world´s wrong idea, in Iran the people go to the beach for swimming , sun bathing and… , but our team (Pasargad) train in Tehran and we do not have beach in Tehran but we have two fields like beach sand and when we have match for preparing we will go to the beach islands for our training.

4.After your first appearance in Lignano what kind of expectations and objectives do you have for the further Beach 5 seasons?

R: Next year, our team will be younger, lighter and faster. From our first good experience in 2014, we will participate again in Lignano and one more EBRA tournament.

5.Is the Beach 5s growing in Iran? What can we expect from Iran Beach 5s in the near future?

R: Beach rugby in Iran is growing too fast and this growth it´s the reason why Iran beach rugby will surprise the world in few years. We started a five year plan and we have the intention to introduce our beach rugby as one of the most powerful beach rugby in whole the world in 2020.

Sol Henare is the Pacific Islanders Team founder and the guy pushing forward Beach 5s in New Zealand!

Hi Sol!

1. You have been involved with Beach 5s foa a long time, and you are also the founder of Pacific Islanders Beach 5s team. What memories do you save from those times?

R: My first beach rugby experience in Europe was Lignano in 2005 and we were blown away with the passion, professionalism and polish of the tournament. We went back in 2007 with the PI team and have returned every year since. Lots of fond memories, special memories and something we enjoy a lot is what we call in New Zealand the Manaakitanga: the coming together of people, sharing food, connecting and caring for one another.

2. How is the Beach 5s scene in New Zealand? Fully established or just starting?

R: After discussions with various provincial RFU and the NZRFU, the general feeling I got is that there isn’t much on the ground as far as BEACH 5s is concerned however we are in close contact with the NZRFU and they are watching with interest.

So to answer your question, we are just starting out.

3. You are now organizing a Beach 5s tournament in New Zealand. Tell us a little bit more about the tournament and the venue where it’s held.

R: Our event, the MOUNT BEACH 5s, is the first major beach 5s tournament New Zealand has seen. The venue, know as Mt Maunganui or the Mount for short, is one of NZ’s premier beach spots in the summer and will be teeming come November, which is when we start our summer here in NZ. With teams coming from all over NZ, we are expecting to grow exponentially and tap into NZ’s massive rugby pedigree.

4. How would you convince anyone to go and participate in your tournament?

R: It’s not hard in NZ to round up some friends, head to the beach and play some footy so there’s no need to convence anyone here. Looking forward, the challenge is attracting overseas teams. Working against us is our location and the price to get here however all NZer’s believe we are the rugby mecca and if people want a crack at the best, then they have to come to NZ. We may be just starting our BEACH 5s journey, however, we have huge resources and rugby nous to tap into and it won’t take long before NZ teams are flying out to take on the world!

5.Beach 5s are going viral all over the world. How do you see the future of Beach 5s?

R: Our vision in NZ is very clear: to promote and develop Beach 5s here in NZ.

Globally, I see it as a great avenue for tier 2 and 3 nations to develop their rugby knowledge base and for tier 1 nations to begin to invest more in this exciting brand of rugby. What that investment will look like will vary from country to country, but it will take a forward thinking nation to make a considerable investment and see some real positive returns. If those positive returns enhance the national team in the other forms of rugby (7s, XVs) other RFU’s will be on notice to adapt…or get left behind!

1. You are Argentinian… how an Argentinian ends up organizing a Beach 5s event in a remote island of Brazil?

R: Beach Rugby has been around Morro de São Paulo Island for the last 15 years, brought by Argentinians. For many years we have discussed the idea of organizing a beach rugby tournament here. So my friend Le challenged me in 2013 to organize an International Beach Rugby Tournament, and here we are looking forward for the second edition.

2. The tournament second edition will take place in November 2015. What are the expectations?

R: Our goal is to improve the tournament´s overall quality, guarantee better facilities and bring some more partners on board and increase the number of female teams. The event will be held at the second beach, the most popular beach of Morro de São Paulo and we are looking forward to have 10 male teams and 8 female teams participating. Promotion and PR are two crucial areas where we are investing. We already have confirmed the presence of a Tv Globo sports commentator, which is generating more awareness to the tournament. We want to keep developing the Beach Rugby in the Island at its grass root level, doing some workshops at local schools.

3. There are still many Beach Rugby tournaments played by teams of sevens players. Why did you choose to invest on the 5s version since the beggining?

R: The Beach Rugby Sevens are very popular in South América. However when we were discussing the possibility of organizing the tournament we did some research and found the 5s version more dynamic and appealing. We got in contact with Rui Loureiro from the Figueira Beach Rugby Tournament and EBRA board member who have helped us to start with this set of rules. It´s also important if you are looking to create a flow of teams amongst the tournaments to uniformize the rules.

4. How would you convince a team to participate in Morro The São Paulo Beach 5s?

R: For European teams it might look as a long trip, however it can be really rewarding and life changing. Morro de São Paulo is an unique place with good vibes around. Last year an english player said to me: “ I have played rugby in many places even in the snow, but here it willl be unforgettable. This is Rugby in Heaven”

5. Beach 5s is going viral all over the world, currently played in every single Continent. How do you see the Beach 5s future?

R: Beach 5s future looks very promissing. The fact that you only need 5 guys to play makes it more easier to start, plus the set of rules makes this game a very intense and exciting game!

The Ovale Beach Marseille team have not just won all the tournaments they went to (Marseille, Barcelona, Figueira and Liganno), claiming for the second time the title of Beach 5s European Champions, but also re-defined the style of playing Beach 5s.
What they delivered during the European Beach 5s season, was truly beyond what we had witnessed so far.
They added a magical touch to the ingredients you all knew were needed to succeed amongst the European Beach 5s family.
I would say they are some kind of the Beach 5´s Harlem Globetrotters! Strong teams such as the Italians Padova Beach, the Portuguese Direito, The Belgian Ghent Magnets and Pacific Islanders, tried everything to beat the French Flair but that did just not happened.
There is no doubt the French team took the Beach 5s into an all new level, setting new boundaries for what is coming next.
The future is always unpredictable but we all know that nothing will be like before after the French performance in 2014.
Beach 5s is more than alive and history is being made!

Lusiaves Figueira Beach Rugby 2014 edition was once again a great success. 50 teams and 800 athletes from all over Europe, came down to Portugal to enjoy probably the best European Beach 5s Tournament.

Sun, Action and Party were the perfect mix for a hell of a weekend, with 168 games played during 15h of the finest Beach Rugby.

Not just the teams enjoyed the tournament. Thousands of people witnessed live, the most exciting beach sport during two days, proving that the Beach 5s future is promissing. France has proved to be nowadays the most powerful Beach Rugby Nation, with the Ovale Beach Marseille and Dragon Flyers fighting for the title, both on men and women divisions.

After a really demanding weekend, looking after all the aspects that needed to be cared to deliver a great tournament, we are already with our minds on the 2015 edition.

Keep tunned for more information about not just the Lusiaves Figueira Beach Rugby but Beach 5s Worlwide!

Ovale Beach Rugby team, the former European Beach Rugby Champion, won the Barcelona Beach Rugby 5s tournament last week, showing that they are starving for one more successful season.
Are they the favourites for the Portuguese leg of the Series?
Ghent Magnets are coming stonger than ever with several internaional Belgium players in their squad. The Spanish Armada being led by the Astures Celtas can always make some damages in the favourites, while the Portuguese teams Cdul, Belenses, Académica and Direito which has dominated the last 2 editions, are also strong candidates.
France, Holland and Luxembourg are also represented and can surprise the ones who underestimate the uncertainty of Beach Rugby….the fastest rugby game on earth!

After their participation in Lignano 2013 the Astures Celtas will participate in 3 legs of the EBRA European Circuit. The Asturian people are well known for their warrior spirit, so we can expect fierce presence of these Beach fighters.

1. Cesare you were one of the Beach 5s pioneer. Could you tell us how everything started?

It was 20 years ago and started out pretty much as a joke amongst a group of rugby teammates who either worked or usually spent the holidays in Lignano Sabbiadoro. The first time out was an historic match featuring the ‘lifeguards’ versus ‘rugby udine’….you could say this was a kind of BIG BANG that sparked a host other BANGS on beaches all around Italy. Then from 2001 we launched Super Beach 5s in the Lignano Beach Arena. With a capacity of 4,000 spectators, the concept was to create a more spectacular platform for this short format style of rugby that would work for both for the players and the fans.

2. Being involved with Beach Rugby for so many years, in your opinion the sports´growth was slower or faster than you expected?

It seems like we’ve spent many years at this point. But there’s always been growth. Sometimes at great speed and other times it seems we reach a natural pause. Infact these lulls have been really helpful to allow us time to work on modifying the rules and regulations for Beach 5s. Our goal has always been to make it as safe as possible for everyone who wants to play. While at the same time, as fast and exciting as possible for all the fans who enjoy watching. After so many years in development, we’re now confident that Beach 5s is ‘The Fastest Game of Rugby on the Planet.’

3. EBRA circuit presents 7 legs in 2014. What that means for the growing of the sport?

The meaning is self-evident. People like Beach 5s and its spreading like wildfire. Starting from the North, it’s already arrived in the Southern Hemisphere. But Europe still remains the cradle of development for Beach 5s.

4. Last year you visited Figueira for the first time. What your impressions are about the event?

It’s a leading event which shows off how well Beach Rugby culture is spreading across Portugal’s beaches. The Figueira tournament organisation is now an important pillar in the expanding EBRA Series circuit and is a worthy display of what a future FIRA-AER series venue could look like.

5. How do you see Beach 5s in the future?

One word only: Olympics ! Whether we’re talking short term or long term, it doesn’t matter. The day will surely come when the IOC and the Olympics will become attracted to the beauty Beach 5s …. 10 minute matches with upwards of 20 tries scored per game…..it has got to be one of the best, most exciting new sporting products that can be offered to both Olympic audiences and worldwide media alike.